Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 35

“Could you please tell that to my wife directly?” Mr. Drevis said with a truly exasperated expression. “She’s a picky eater and refuses to exercise. Whenever I bring it up, she just blocks her ears and tunes me out as if I’m nothing but a nagging old man.”

Brianna couldn’t help but laugh at his frustration. “I used to have a method for that. Would you like me to share it with you?”

As she continued her pleasant conversation with him, she caught sight of Lucius in the distance. It soon became clear that his gaze was fixed directly on her.

It was strange. At this distance, it would be difficult to make out faces clearly. In fact, his face appeared blurry to her as well. Yet, he seemed to know she was there, his gaze unwavering since he first saw her.

What’s more, he appeared to be quite angry. It didn’t make sense that she could perceive his emotions from such a distance, but she could feel it nonetheless.

Just then, the lights in the audience dimmed, plunging the space into darkness.

Brianna sat down, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled over her.

It must be a mistake. He probably doesn’t even know I’m here. And even if he did, why would he be angry…?

A few moments later, the stage lights came on, casting a bright glow that reached part of the audience. Brianna stole a glance at the royal box and once again met those sharp, unwavering eyes.

She quickly turned back to face the stage.

It’s not a mistake. He’s looking at me.

But why?

From that moment on, she couldn’t focus on the elaborate stage sets or the beautiful arias that had so captivated her the previous night. A sense of anxiety gnawed at her, as if something unseen was pursuing her. She clasped her hands tightly, her fingers interlocked. She wanted to check if he was still watching her, but the fear of meeting his gaze again kept her from turning her head.

It felt like she was being punished for something she hadn’t done.

Eventually, Brianna excused herself to Marc and stepped outside. Only when she was completely out of his line of sight did she feel like she could breathe again.

I’ll just get some fresh air and then head back inside, she thought as she walked toward the stairs.

But before she could reach them, a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

“Lucius?” she gasped.

There he was, his face hardened with an unreadable expression. Without a word, he seized her wrist and led her away. Brianna, too stunned to protest, let herself be pulled along.

He dragged her to a narrow stairwell on the opposite side of the hall, typically used by staff, and shoved her inside before she could utter a word of protest.

“What is…?” she began, about to ask what on earth was going on, when his sharp voice lashed out like a whip.

“What are you doing here?”

Brianna stared at him in bewilderment. What am I doing here? She had been watching the opera and, more specifically, working.

But the tone of his voice was unmistakably laced with accusation. She couldn’t understand why.

Why is he so angry?

“As you can see, I was watching the opera. That gentleman is my client…” she began to explain.

“Client?” he repeated with a bitter scoff, an expression on his face she had never seen before.

“That feeble old man?” he sneered.

“What does that matter? And why would you say he’s feeble?” she asked, completely at a loss.

“Why didn’t you ask for my help instead? Or use the money the Dowager Countess left you? Wouldn’t that make more sense?” he retorted.

Brianna felt her blood run cold. His words were so baffling that she struggled to piece together what he was implying.

So, he thinks… he actually believes I’m making money through improper means? Just because I’m attending the opera with a man?

The realization struck her like a blow. Humiliation and indignation surged through her, causing her hands to tremble.

“……”

But soon, a deeper sense of disappointment washed over her.

“…That’s strange. When I saw you with that young lady, I didn’t assume that one of you had paid the other.”

“What are you—”

“Is it because of my status that I’m misunderstood, even though the situation is the same? Or is it because the man I was with is older?”

“……”

“I believe it’s the former. If the young lady you escorted had attended the opera with Mr. Drevis, people might have imagined things, but they wouldn’t have assumed she was selling her body.”

Lucius stood frozen, staring at Brianna. Just as he was about to respond, a voice called out from below.

“Miss Brianna?”

A theater employee was looking up at her from the narrow, spiral staircase.

“Oh, I’m glad I found you. I have something to tell you,” the employee said, unaware of Lucius’s presence.

Brianna quickly stepped forward before Lucius could react, descending the stairs as she asked, “What is it?”

“Mr. Drevis has decided to invest, and the manager is overjoyed. He said it’s all thanks to your excellent translation work, so he’s decided to give you a bonus on top of the agreed amount. We need to re-do the paperwork, so could you stop by the office after the performance…”

Their conversation continued as they walked away, leaving Lucius alone on the staircase.

It was only after overhearing this exchange that Lucius realized just how groundless his assumptions had been.

“So, it was the temporary job… translating at the theater?”

Lucius clenched his fists tightly.

Drevis. The name rang a bell—wasn’t it a prominent family known for making significant investments in Basel and the surrounding regions? It made perfect sense for a foreigner like him to be staying at a hotel and for him to have a translator accompany him to the opera.

“What have I done?” he muttered to himself, feeling a wave of regret wash over him.

He wanted nothing more than to chase after Brianna and apologize for his rash behavior, but she was already gone.

***

As the performance ended and it was time to head home, snow began to fall. Mr. Drevis stayed behind for his meeting with the manager, so Brianna bid him farewell and left the theater alone.

She trudged through the falling snow, her steps heavy. Though her pocket was lined with the extra wages she had earned, it did little to lift her spirits.

I hate snowy days.

Her father, and the Dowager Countess Linares, had both left her on snowy days. And now, there was another reason—Lucius Carlisle. Because of him, Brianna found herself hating the snow even more.

To think he would judge me so harshly just because I went to the opera with a man. What kind of person does he see me as?

When Franz had treated her like an easy woman, it hadn’t hurt her this much. He had only been a nuisance, and she was satisfied with never having to see him again. His filthy words hadn’t left a mark on her.

But the words Lucius had spoken today cut deep, like sharp knives carving into her heart. Brianna was certain that the wounds would leave scars that would never fade.

“…I thought he was a good person.”

He had offered her a handkerchief to soothe her wounds. He had found her father’s keepsake. He had shown her the fireworks.

Of course, she knew that all of this kindness had been because of Florian. But to think that, at the first sight of her with another man at the opera, he would jump to such baseless conclusions…

Of all people, how could you…?

It was then that Brianna realized something she hadn’t known before.

Did I really think of him this highly?

Why? She had only met him a few times.

Sure, when they watched the fireworks together, she had felt a connection with him. They had shared a sense of loss over their fathers and comforted each other with the hope that good things would come after the bad.

But she hadn’t realized that those few moments had made him so special to her, nor had she imagined that this same person would make her feel so utterly miserable.

Brianna stomped on the snow gathering on the ground, pressing it down hard. If she didn’t, she felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Brianna.”

A voice called out to her from a distance. Brianna lifted her head to see Florian standing in front of her apartment building. He must have been waiting for some time, as his expensive coat, made of fine rodent fabric, was darker at the shoulders where the snow had settled.